The Folland Gnat is a light Military aircraft designed by the the United Kingdom in the years 1950 and produced with more than 400 specimens. It was mainly used by the India, which built it under license and developed an improved version: the HALL Ajeet .

Design

The Gnat is resulting from a project developed on equities by Folland, with the beginning of the year 1950: Fo-139 Midge. It was then a question of producing a Fighter plan simple and light, but in spite of very powerful and manoeuvrable. The demonstrator Midge made its first flight on August 11th, 1954 and showed excellent qualities in spite of his engine of low power. He was however lost at the time of an accident on September 26th, 1955.

Equip with an engine twice more powerful, the first Gnat made its inaugural flight on July 18th, 1955. It resembled the Midge enormously, in spite of slightly different dimensions, was armed with 2 guns of 30mm and could carry 454kg of load under 2 pylons. Six planes were ordered for the tests, equipped with an engine even more powerful.

In 1956, the India bought 25 Gnat as well as the parts to build 15 others of them, as well as a license to produce the plane locally. On its side, the Finland ordered 13 planes which were delivered to him into 1958/1959 and remained in service until 1972. Three of them had a modified nose able to receive three cameras of recognition. Lastly, the Yugoslavia received two Gnat in order to evaluate the plane, but did not order finally any specimen of series.

The Royal Air Force was not interested by the version of combat but by the two-seater version of drive Gnat T.1 . It ordered 14 planes of preproduction in 1958, and first T.1 made its inaugural flight on August 31st, 1959. On the whole, 105 specimens were delivered to him of 1962 to 1965. The Gnat was used by the lifting Patrouille of the Red Arrows, of 1965 to 1979.

Career in India

The first of the 25 Gnat ordered arrived in India at the beginning of the year 1958. The first plane assembled locally starting from the parts provided by Folland left factory in November 1959, and first Gnat builds entirely in India stole in May 1962. A total of 195 specimens were manufactured until 1974.

The plane was brought into service in March 1960 and equipped three squadrons at the time of the conflict with Pakistan with 1965, then eight at the time of the conflict of 1971. Gnat Indians seem to be gradually withdrawn from the service from 1976/1977.

Although the Indian pilots appreciated Gnat much, the plane was not free from defects: the shooting with the gun disturbed the operation of the engine, the control system of shooting and the guns were not more reliable, and the cockpit had neither air-conditioning nor heating.

The HALL Ajeet

In 1972, the India designed an improved version intended to also correct certain defects and able of missions of attacks on the ground: the HALL Ajeet (Invincible). Although almost identical outside to the Gnat , the new plane had new tanks in the wings, a new electronics of edge, and could carry a warhead twice more important (900 kg out of out of 4 pylons, instead of 450 kg out of 2 pylons of Gnat).

The prototype, a Gnat modified, made its first flight in March 1975. First Ajeet of series stole to him in September 1976, and the deliveries of the 79 ordered specimens (more 10 Gnat modified) were spread out of 1977 to 1982. A two-seater version of drive was envisaged, preserving the armament and the engine of the single-seater, but with less fuel because of the place occupied by the second cockpit. A first prototype was built in 1982 and destroys in an accident shortly after. The project was finally abandoned but the two remaining prototypes were however used by Squadron 2 for the drive.

The Ajeet were withdrawn from the service in 1991.

Engagements

The Gnat and Ajeet of the India were engaged at the time of the conflicts with the Pakistan:

• in 1965 at the time of the Second indo-Pakistani War, with 6 Gnat lost (1 broken plane, 2 destroyed on the ground and 3 shot down)
• in 1971 at the time of the Third indo-Pakistani War, with 2 Gnat lost (1 shot down broken plane and 1)

At the time of these conflicts, Gnat gained several victories in aerial combat against the Pakistani F-86 Saber, which been worth to him the local nickname of Saber Slayer (“killer of saber”).

Alternatives

• Gnat - initial version (Fighter plan, 265 specimens)

• Gnat T.1 - two-seater version of drive (105 specimens)
• Ajeet - version improved by the India (79 specimens plus 10 Gnat modified)

Users

• the United Kingdom

• Finland
• India

See too

External bonds

• Folland Gnat on Air Vectors
• the HALL Ajeet on GlobalSecurity.org
• Gnaj/Ajeet in the Indian air force (booklet carried out for the 50 years of the arrival of Gnat in India)